"The combination of low wages and moderate social recognition, along with various tightening regulations, should come as no surprise as a reason for the Customs profession's lack of appeal to young people," a retired border officer from Záhony told our paper. We reached out to Zoltán Magyar after observing first-hand the slow customs checks during a mid-January report trip to Transcarpathia, caused by a lack of personnel.

It took us 40 minutes to clear the Hungarian-Ukrainian border crossing in Záhony. When returning in the evening around seven o'clock, we faced a three-hour wait on the Ukrainian side. In Hungary, there were only 7-8 Ukrainian vehicles ahead of us, and we expected a quick crossing. However, it took 2 hours and 47 minutes just to open the barriers, as only one gate was operational, and the examination of Ukrainian refugees' mini-vans took 20-25 minutes per vehicle. Upon inquiring why there was only one gate in operation and why Hungarian travelers were not processed separately (as their checks hardly took five minutes), a customs officer explained that they simply did not have enough personnel. They are hiring, but nobody is coming for the pay offered, the officer stated without disclosing the salary amount.

According to the National Tax and Customs Administration's (NAV) website, they are indeed looking for customs referees, with 29 vacancies at the Serbian and Ukrainian non-EU border crossings. We queried NAV about the duration and cause of this personnel shortage and the offered wages, as well as whether the crossing speed would improve if candidates for the advertised positions were found. NAV's polite response, however, was non-specific and did not address the cause of the staff shortage.

Zoltán Magyar estimates that a young novice in the field takes home approximately a net income of 250-260 thousand Hungarian Forints. Moreover, when the individual turns 25 ceasing to be exempt from personal income tax – the wage may even decrease compared to what it was before. In Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, an area with economic disadvantages, a novice warehouse worker or shelf stacker can earn the same amount, with significantly fewer constraints and regulations. Experienced border officers with twenty to thirty years on the job earn on average a net income of 450-480 thousand Forints. Yet, they are constantly at risk; if they make a mistake, such as allowing someone to cross the border who has overstayed their permitted stay or whose passport has expired, they could face disciplinary action, with fines ranging from 400-600 thousand Forints.

Moreover, joining the police force means agreeing to potential surveillance of oneself and one's immediate family, with only partial freedom to take vacations at will.

The future, even retirement, is not secure for those dedicated to serving as border officers. A single serious surgery or prolonged illness could lead to them being deemed medically unfit for service and potentially dismissed with just two months of severance pay.

Previously, border officers nearing retirement could opt for a lighter duty and wait for their pension eligibility in a reserved status; however, this is no longer supported by the state. As Magyar Zoltán points out, the profession is far from appealing to the youth, even those from the eastern counties. They are more likely to leave for Austria or Western Hungary for drywall installation or train driving jobs with the Hungarian State Railways, offering 25-30% higher wages, especially in areas with above-average unemployment rates.